We regard good governance as a long term critical success factor; it is a key platform for socially inclusive communities. In effect it means developing mechanisms that allow the broadest range of stakeholders to be engaged in planning for the future of their local area, and building their capacity to make good long term decisions for the benefit of everyone in the community.
Effective governance should be planned, and rarely happens by chance. There is no one size fits all approach for effective governance - the context, desired outcomes and deliberative capacity of the community are all factors in deriving the optimal model.
Where it is successfully implemented, community representation in project governance leads to a richer and more authentic project outcome, a higher degree of local ownership and improved social sustainability (including indicators of safety, crime rates, participation and social capital). It also facilitates more positive relationships between the project (and its proponent) and the wider community.
